Charley sees dead people. That's right, she sees dead people. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e., murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.
This is a thrilling debut novel from Darynda Jones, an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense. (Pub Date: Feb 1, 2011)
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
This was a recommendation I would have deeply regretted not following.
Charley can see dead people, and they can see her even the more for she is the proverbial light, the grim reaper. It means they need her to pass on. That ability has gotten her into trouble but has also helped her solve many cases as a private investigator and collaborator with the police. This time she's after something more personal, the only spirit she could never understand, an entity that might be much more than her everyday "dead people".
I think the writing is quite messy. Every scene, I took very long to understand it all because Charlie's narration is a little to polluted with jokes. At the same time, this loose way to narrate made the reading very light and pleasing. Also I don't have anything against failed jokes as long as some work, and they did. I think some readers may not be patient enough, so here is the warning.
Charlie's powers seem to have a pretty long range and every time we'd find out a new gift. I confess I frowned a bit. I avoid hate on Mary Sues as much as I can, but it was harder in this book. However, as the book progressed I concluded Charlie may have turned out the infamous Mary Sue, only she isn't. I think Jones's writing needs fixing, lots of cleaning, but the character is good.
The main plot was the simple kind, Jones obviously knew this would be a series because she left the deep stuff in slow burn and now I long to read more. It feels like I only read the introduction of a book, not the whole thing.
So why read this? Because it's really fun. I'm not into the erotic parts but you'll probably like it if you are. Romance-wise, it's still pretty much in the beginning but enough to excite me on the possibilities. Moreover, despite Charlie's lighthearted narration, the story isn't just another detective book. I loved how she mixed well the drama and even plot twists, making me as curious about the ending as I was about the main plot of this series.
I recommend this for fans of light supernatural stories as well as romance readers. I acknowledge this could mean Twilight and the such but as a non-fan of Twilight I assure you it can please a larger range. I don't recommend for those who prefer cleaner writing. I'm sure Jones can improve a lot and I'm really curious to see that for myself but this books is far from ideal. It's the dictionary definition of guilty pleasure, right?
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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